Alaskan School District Bans Five Classic Novels From Curriculum
By: Jonathan Stormer Pezzi
Book cover of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, one of the novels removed from the Mat-Su curriculum. Photo Musée Annam
Lexington — In a school district north of Anchorage, Alaska, five classic American novels have been banned for their perceived risk to young students. The Matanuska-Susitna School Board voted 5-2 to prohibit the teaching of I know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou, Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Catch-22 by Joseph Heller, and The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien.
The vote occurred after a board member requested more information on books in the curriculum, intenting to review any content that might be offensive or inappropriate, according to district officials.
Maya Angelou and Ellison’s novels were banned for description of rape and incest, as well as “anti-white messaging”. Catch-22 was cited for containing harmful, racial slurs and misogynist attitudes among the characters. The acclaimed Vietnam War-era book, The Things They Carried as well as the roaring twenties novel, The Great Gatsby, were both banned for their profanity and sexual references. The board members considered this content unfit for students with developing minds and inappropriate for school a atmosphere.
Board member Jim Hart argues the latter, claiming if he read Angelou’s novel “in a professional environment at my office, I would be dragged to the equal opportunity office.”
“Some of these readings could give immature minds living nightmares for life. There are so many wonderful classics that are neglected in our school systems the past 20 years, ” says another supporter of the ban.
Opponents of the ban believe that the decision will have the opposite effect that the school board is attempting for. Anti-ban advocates argue that the controversial components of the book are an important aspect of a child’s educational experience, as the themes of each book will likely occur in a student’s life at some point. In turn, teachers are able to guide students through these subjects and discuss their implications, then allowing students to decide what is right or wrong in these stories.
Due to the Tenth Amendment’s allocation of powers, state school boards do have the right to select texts in libraries or classrooms, though these decisions are occasionally challenged by local boards or parents as in the case of Matanuska-Susitna.
A Brief History of Book Censorship in America
Banning books has a long history in the United States, dating 120 years before the nation declared independence. One of the first recorded instances was in 1650, when a pamphlet written by William Pynchon, The Meritorious Price of Our Redemption, was burned by the Puritan government in Massachusetts.
This censorship carried well into the twentieth century. In 1953, Georgia created a literature commission to enforce the state’s obscenity laws, soon halting or censoring hundreds publications altogether. It wasn’t until 20 years later the commission was abolished by then-Governor Jimmy Carter.
More recent prohibitions have occurred as well. A Nashville Catholic school removed all copies of Harry Potter from its libraries. Reverend Dan Reehil of Saint Edwards Catholic School reasoned, “The curses and spells used in the books are actual curses and spells; which when read by a human being risk conjuring evil spirits into the presence of the person reading the text.”
Ban Sparks National Backlash
With few bans reaching national news in recent years, Matanuska-Susitna’s removal of the five books has made headlines throughout the country.
Expectedly, this decision has stirred national outrage. In addition to a flurry of social media criticism, Portugal. The Man, an American rock band originally from Alaska, has offered to buy any of the five books for students and parents from the school district.
5,452 Likes, 175 Comments - PTM (@portugaltheman) on Instagram: "BOYCOTT THE BOOK BAN: Hey Mat-Su friends, your School Board recently banned five great books from..."
“We believe this decision is narrow-minded and un-Patriotic, and we are not OK with it,” the band wrote on their instagram page.
According to local news outlets, much of the community has expressed opposition to the ban. A petition has been created, urging the board to rescind the removal of these books and consult with the community on related future decisions. The petition already has thousands of signatures.
Local bookstores have run out of stock of all five of the books, with orders coming in from all around the world after the decision’s news was reported by outlets such as The New York Times and The Guardian. A virtual banned book club has also been started in the community, in an effort to discuss the importance of literature and intellectual freedom.
The school board has yet to announce whether they will revisit the matter.